Bedbug facts
Plus: Infestation tips
By KRISTIN TILLOTSON, Star Tribune
• They are about 1/4 inch long, shaped in a flat oval and reddish-brown in color. They have no wings.
• They feed only on blood (human or animal), usually when their victims are sleeping, as they might spend 5 to 10 minutes ingesting several times their body weight in blood.
• They don't spread disease, so are not tracked by state health departments.
• Fewer than half of people who get bit show a visible reaction on skin.
• They leave behind tiny reddish-brown to black waste speckles on mattresses and sheets.
• They hide in wall crevices, between floorboards and behind wall sockets as well as mattress and upholstery seams.
• They can live for a year without eating.
• Females usually lay at least a few eggs every day, up to 500 in their life span.
• Bedbugs are not more attracted to dirtier environments (but are much harder to eradicate in clutter).
INFESTATION PREVENTION TIPS
• When traveling, thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking; check bedsheets for telltale blood or waste spots. If any bugs or spots are found, request a room change immediately, preferably in another part of the hotel.
• In hotels, keep your suitcase on the luggage rack, away from the bed. If you're really paranoid, bring along a giant plastic sealable bag to encase your luggage.
• Hang clothes in closets, but don't put them in hotel drawers.
• When you get home from a trip, vacuum your suitcases and wash all your clothes right away or put them in a sealable plastic bag until you can.
• Don't put purses and other personal items on floors in public spaces.
about the writer
KRISTIN TILLOTSON, Star Tribune
The northern lights may be visible in Minnesota on Thursday and Friday night. Here’s how to chase them.
Here are tips for getting a glimpse of the elusive aurora borealis during the next solar storm, with sky-watchers saying celestial conditions are ripe for an unusually active season.